The Common had a long tradition of cricket playing from the 18th century, and the right to play cricket is enshrined in the Supplementary Act that brought the common into public ownership.

As well as the historic common, there is also an adjacent formal garden, The Rookery, laid out on the site of one of Streatham's historic mineral wells. The Rookery is well known for its old cedar trees and White Garden designed in the same style as that at Sissinghurst Castle. The gently sloping lawns of The Rookery are used as an open-air theatre in the summer.

There is a Management Advisory Committee, which is promoting a Management Plan for the conservation of the Common and Rookery Gardens. A separate Friends of Streatham Common group promotes events on the Common and in the Rookery, including a very successful annual kite festival.